Three Sea Captains

I uploaded some grabs of the Olive dvd for the TCRG Voy Board so I thought I'd post them here too. I think this one could be my favourite:





I'd seriously recommend buying these DVDs. I got mine from Antonio Pacelli - along with the ceili DVDs, these have been a lifesaver.

Three Sea Captains met the King of the Fairies...

...and had a wee dance together.

I am 99% of the way there in terms of completing the traditional set dances!

I've actually lost count of the amount of times I've wound and rewound the DVD - I recorded a video of it onto my phone for easier rewinding and easy, 24/7 access to the steps. I've written and rewritten and colour coded and watched and watched, and I'm close. Three Seas I know, and I can almost dance. King I'm fairly sure I know, but haven't properly danced.

So I guess with that, my original aim is complete. I wanted to learn all of the Coimisiun ceilis and traditional sets because I felt I wasn't a complete dancer/fan/enthusiast/obsessive of the dance form without this knowledge. And now I have it. I know all the traditional dances that one could possibly rock up at a feis and dance. I'm quite pleased with that.

Three Seas

Tip and down treble-treble and a back tip and change
Out and kick out and kick out and brush heel and down
Back rock 23 back rock 23
Tip and down heel and down and back tip and change

Tip and down treble-treble and a back tip and change
Tip and down treble-treble and a back tip and change
Treble-treble and back treble-treble and back
Treble 1 treble 2 treble 1234
Tip out tip and back tip and change tip and down
Tip out tip and back tip and change tip and down
Tip and down hop back tip and cut to your heel
Tip and down, tip box 23 treble and a heel,
Back and down back and down brush and box234
Tip and down, heel treble and a back tip and change



Not quite as polished as Olive's lot but you get the general idea I hope.

King

Brush down kick heel-and-a-heel-and-a-heel-and-a-down
Kick treble and treble and treble and treble and
Up cut down and up cut onto your heel and treble and back
Brush down brush down kick cut down
Treble and a back 12 and point and back 12
Brush down kick treble and tre-ble and a kick and down

And brush and brush treble and 123
Brush treble and treble and twist 23
Hop 23 and over and onto your heel brush and treble and back
And brush kick treble-and-treble and kick and 123 down kick box 234
Down treble and back and treble and toe, stamp, treble and treble and
Tre-ble and a heel kick down brush cut down box 23 and 123
Treble and treble and down treble and back
And brush kick heel 234 and change, stamp, brush 2, 3, 4, and back treble and back brush treble up tre-ble and a back



This music seems extra fast to me so well done to them for keeping up! Watch the lady in the white top if, like me, you struggled with the bit after "hop 23 and over and onto your heel brush treble and back".

"And that's it! Let's look at the dancers..."

Challenges

Oh, I crack myself up. I wrote myself a list of four challenges last week and, to date, have achieved exactly none of them. I keep doing different things instead!

Here's what I wanted to do:
- Finish Job (yes, I'm still on that. No, I haven't tried)
- Learn Garden
- Learn to do a bicycle (I'm going to need to know how to do at least one difficult movement in case I get champs in the teaching section)
- Choreograph a beginner hornpipe

Here's what I actually did:
- Choreographed two steps of a primary slip jig (it's actually very pretty!)
- Completed two music quizzes (both passes but a couple of woeful mistakes. How do you confuse Ace and Deuce with Planxty Drury? Not Davis, Drury?!)
- Choreographed a new heavy jig step

So I guess productive, and at least I'm doing practical work more often now, but if I don't stick to my homework then there are certain things I will put off for ever and ever!

Monday class was cancelled which gave the legs and internal organs a much needed rest. Wednesday class is on as normal tomorrow so I can test out this new heavy jig step which can't be neglected even though it's not on my original list. So the plan for the next week is (incorporating overtime - real life needs to stop getting in my way):

Wednesday - review new slip jig step and heavy jig step. Video record if possible.
Thursday - attempt Job set
Sunday - review Job set, attempt hornpipe
Monday - get to class early to work on bicycles, Job, jig and hornpipe.

Is that enough? Probably not. I'm also trying to write out (well, type) all the tougher ceilis. Mainly the ones with figures, and a couple of others like Lannigan's and Gates, otherwise I'm going to run out of past papers well before my actual exam.

I WILL update on my progress this time next week! If I don't, spam me with comments.

Exam news

Woe is me. Just took a wee visit to Ryan Carroll's blog and all future TCRG candidates will need to know seven traditional sets instead of the current four. Sob! But, I have the DVD and they are all nice dances. We'd need them as teachers anyway and it'll be nice to be able to offer more than one trad set in jig time. But, the fact that the meeting was held this weekend just gone, means that you should all start getting your results fairly soon. Best of luck!!!

***EDIT - apparently the original blog post (linked to above) was incorrect as it has now been reposted. We still only need to know the four traditional sets, but any version of them will be accepted as there are a number of different versions***

Before I go, an answer to last week's quiz question. As correctly guessed by one of our anonymous readers, the odd movement out was See-Saw as all the other movements listed included a clap or claps. Thanks for playing!

Final piece of news...I'm starting my Wednesday night classes from this week. OMG.

Job of Journeywork

Attempting my third traditional set this week. I was lucky enough to have someone to teach me the step which compared to learning St Pat's and Blackbird from videos was SO VERY EASY. Honestly, if you ever have the choice been videos and a real person, choose the real person every time. There's just no comparison. I have the step committed to memory:

& brush & brush treble in front, hop-treble treble and a back 23 brush treble and a back, hop-treble treble and a back 23 and brush treble and back treble and back 2345 heel heel down step treble and back brush treble-treble and a back.

And now I've found a slowed-down instruction of the set which I hope will be the next bext thing to personal tuition! I especially like the little shriek during one of the rocks :)



So that's my project for this week. I do of course have Olive as well.

Class went well this week although it was just the three of us. It's been just the three of us for some time now which is disappointing. But, they're both really enthusiastic and we steamed through all the beginner dances, polished the primary reel including learning a brand new second step, and then continued to work on St Patrick's Day. I've made up a heavy jig lead and second step to go with my existing first step (which I've changed to be a first instead of a lead) and they actually WORK!

Still no further along with my own dancing/open set dances, and haven't touched a practice paper since last month. Not to worry. I still only have £30 saved towards this exam and hence haven't applied. No rush, I'm telling myself.

This Saturday we have an Irish band playing at the local and they've asked if I can bring a few dancers. I've roped a few guys in - should be a good craic.

Blackbird Part 3

After first starting to learn the Blackbird 1,000 years ago, giving up and not looking at it since, I know it! This is a "so what" moment for most I know, but this is huge for me. And I even learnt all of it wearing my jig shoes. I've worn through the heel of a poodle sock in the process but I'm so proud of myself right now. I even shouted YES incredibly loud when I finished it and startled some passers-by.

STEP
& brush & brush treble 12 12 & brush treble 12 12 & brush treble 12 12 & brush treble 12 12 & brush treble hop back treble & 123 over 23 & brush treble in front treble behind

SET
Hop down treble & back hop rock 23 hop rock 23 over 23 over 23 over 23 & treble & back hop change change rock rock brush treble & back treble & back
Hop 23 12 12 hop 23 stamp toe heel over 2345 change point back rock rock treble & a back & brush & brush treble & a back & brush & brush treble in front treble behind.

GET IN.

Happy New Year! ...back on it

I suppose like most people (except the LA candidates...good luck people!) I've done less TCRGing and more overeating over the New Year period. So it's time to get a little bit stricter with myself - my plan is to put in for the first possible exam in 2012, and if that ends up being January I have just one year. Considering my dancing is so very rusty, that isn't actually very long. I wish I'd just taken the thing as soon as I retired from competitions like everybody else does! Sadly all of those sets and steps are long since forgotten and all conditioning woefully lost.

Here are my New Year's Resolutions, dance wise:

1. Open a ceili class
Practice in teaching them will be invaluable for the practical element of the exam of course, but being able to visualise dances is helping me to remember them. When I write them out I never, ever forget the ceilis I've danced, so teaching them will help create a stronger memory come written exam time.

2. Learn the rest of the trads
I've left this one shamefully long. I haven't touched them since April (!) and gave up in a huff - see here and here. I focused on the ceilis, and then got too ill to dance. Thankfully I will have help with this and won't have to rely solely on Olive to get me up to speed. I'm just praying I take the exam before they put the 'new' traditionals on the syllabus; four is quite enough for me thank you! I'll learn the others in my own time, afterwards.

3. Sort the sets
This is HUGE. I never really choreographed any of my own hard shoe material, and I'm not really sure how to go about it. Luckily I never struggled with rhythm (one of the few things I didn't fight with!) so I'll be able to manage a mix of jigs and hornpipes, but you can bet your ass I'm picking the short sets. White Blankets yes, Blackthorn stick NO NO NO. I have help with this as well in the form of a fellow candidate/sucker for punishment. I've completely neglected the "own dancing" element of the exam and with my current level of fitness after illness, that just won't do. I actually do think it'll take me a year to get everything back up to a level. It's just been so long!

4. Work
On everything...

So here's my start at number 4 (typical, starting with the booksmarts!) - I just can't live without my lists and charts.

I am SO chuffed with my 86% today because I made a complete hash of one of the 10-pointers and scored no points at all. The question was "Describe in detail the movement which follows 'Full Chain' in the Cross Reel". I steamed in and described Back to Back almost perfectly...only it's not Back to Back, is it? It's Gentlemen Interlace which to be honest I'd completely forgotten. I could have been into the 90s there if I'd described the right movement. D'oh! Read the question thoroughly before diving in with your answer!

Eight-Hand Jig

Love this one, despite the fact that I avoided it for ages because of Swing Into Line, which is actually fairly straightforward. I was also put off by Set All-Round, until I realised it's actually exactly the same as your average Back to Back, but with one big circle instead of two 4-hand circles. Easy way to remember it? It's demonstrated on Olive by Sean Eireann McMahon and everything in the body begins with an S. Makes it so much easier when I recognise dancers and cay say "Sinead goes to the left while Tara goes to the right" etc instead of lady number 2 and lady number 3.



Please note I'm doing this in very short short-hand. I know it's not book-perfect in type but I think it is in my head.

Lead Around

Body
Sides - as in Humours of Bandon - see yesterday's post :)
Skip Across - unlike the Eight-Hand Reel, you do actually 'skip' across in this one. And you also give different hands - in the reel it's right-left-left-right, this one is left-right-left-right. All the gents go at the same time, with tops passing in the centre a fraction before sides. Give left hand to opposite lady, then chain to lady on left of original position and give right hand to her. Gents swap over to opposite position as before, left hand to lady, then back to partner with right hand.
Swing Into Line - all take right hands with partner. Top couple turn outward from circle (if in competition they would now be facing the judges/audience) and all other couples turn into place behind them - first sides directly behind, then second sides, then second tops - all ladies behind top lady, all gents behind top gent. Top couple cast off and retake hands at the bottom of the set, promenading back to place with other couples following suit. All turn to face partner, each line taking hands, and perform the rising step once on each foot then turn back to original position.
Set All-Round - like Back to Back in the Eight-hand Reel except all takes hands in one large circle. Tops swing around couple on left to finish.

First Figure - Advance and Retire
As in Eight-Hand Reel - tops advance and retire twice then swing around each other. Repeated by sides.

Second Figure - Right and Left Chain and Right Hand to Opposite Lady
Tops chain as in the Four-Hand Reel - So if I was the top gent I would give right hand to 2nd top lady, left hand to partner, right hand to 2nd top lady, and left hand to partner. I've seen that as an exam question actually, "which chain ends with left hand to partner". Then the second part of the figure is from the Sixteen-Hand Reel - again if I was top gent I would give right hand to 2nd top lady, back to partner with left hand, then take right hands with 2nd top gent in the centre and turn, then give left hand to 2nd top lady and back to partner. Swing around to finish, and sides repeat the figure.

Finish
As in Eight-Hand Reel.

Two to go :)

The Sweets of May

I wish it was May :(

Corrections in a different hue as before - I'm yet to decide which colour to use.

First Figure - Rings
All take hands in a ring, sidestep to the left and back then the right and back, finishing each time with two short threes (16).

Body
Cross Over and Back - top couples take inside hands and exchange places, gents left shoulder to left shoulder, turning into places without releasing hands. While top couples are exchanging places couples 3 and 4 dance two threes in place. Side couples exchange in like manner while tops dance two threes. Tops return to place as before, followed by sides (8).
Advance and Retire - tops advance to centre while sides mark time with two threes. Tops retire while sides advance. Sides retire while tops advance, then while tops retire sides mark time with two threes (8).
Ringing the Bells - all beat hands above knees four time (right on right first) then clap hands twice. Repeat. Sidestep past partner and I can't remember! - sidestep past partner and dance two threes in place. Repeat whole movement this time sidestepping back to place (16).

Second Figure - Lead Round

Third Figure - See-Saw
Partners take both hands and swing a complete anticlockwise circle back to place, turning clockwise. Reverse and swing a clockwise circle back to place, turning anticlockwise (16).

Fourth Figure - Sides Under Arms
Tops make an arch under which sides on right pass (2nd sides under 1st tops, 1st sides under 2nd tops). Tops then pass under arch made by sides. Tops turn towards sides on left who pass under their arch (1st sides under 1st tops, 2nd sides under 2nd tops). Tops then pass under arch made by sides (16).

Can't remember if there's a finish or not... Repeat rings.

Not bad! :)



Can I make an announcement please? Of course I can, this is my blog.

I have finished Book Three!!!!!!

Attempting the Gates of Derry...

I was terrified of this because of the Gates and the Telescope, but...dare I say it? It's actually not that hard.



Advance and Retire
The Gates
Rings
The Gates
Rings
Telescope
Right and Left Wheels
Swing Around

Trouble is, this dance gets weird when it comes to the repeats. For the first repeat you don't dance advance and retire and only the two middle couples perform Right and Left Wheels and Swing Around. Then for the second repeat you do dance advance and retire, and all couples perform all movements. Why?

I decided to do this one next as I tried a practice exam that asked for an explanation of the Telescope, and as I'd watched the clip a few times and read/thought through the book once I thought I might as well try.

I nearly had it - I said that the hand-holding couples hold right hands when really it's both hands, uncrossed.

And I've also just realised (after watching the video and thinking I'd made a mistake, so checking the book) - it actually doesn't say which of the centre couples hold hands/go down the centre. I just had whichever couple were already holding hands keep them there - ie if you're couple 1 you go all the way down the set holding hands, and then all the way back up around the outside. But Olive had them swapping each time which is probably the way to go.

The Waves of Tory and Lannigan's Ball

I'm back on it! Managed to get my hands on some DVDs and since I'm happy with my knowledge of the first fifteen, I'm learning new ones. I'll be kind of sad when I know them all - I do actually enjoy the process of discovering them.

The Waves of Tory

Definitely not as hard as I thought it was going to be.

Advance and Retire - Right and Left Hands Across - Advance and Retire - Left and Right Hands Across - Lead Off to the Right and Up the Centre - The Waves - Cast Off.



Lannigan's Ball

I love this dance! I'm not sure what it is about it, but it's one of my favourites so far. Let's see if I can remember all the movements in the right order...

Ring - Quarter's Hook - Rise and Grind Step - Lead Round in Centre - Flirtation - Stack-Up - Lead Round - Ring.

Woo!

Trying to get back on track

I've been so awful recently. I tested myself on the dances again earlier this week, did almost perfectly on movement names and bars but STILL can't remember my progressives from my longs. I'm going to have to force myself to do it now that the initial honeymoon period is over. If I'm to hit my target I've still got seven dances to learn by the end of the month and it's the sixth already. I don't want this to be one of my neverending schemes that I'm so enthusiastic about...and then totally lose interest in. No. Not this time!

So.



I know the lead-round, body and first figure very well indeed. I've danced this one a lot. The second figure, to me, is the trickiest one. Third figure and finish, piss easy. Well, probably not to teach but to explain. Let's go:

1 - Lead Round (16)
2 - Body (80 - 16x5)
a) Sides
b) Double Quarter Chain
c) Ladies Interlace
d) Gents Interlace
e) Stap and Clap
3 - First Figure - no name (64 - 16x4)
4 - Body (80)
5 - Second Figure - Circle and Cross (96 - 24x4)
6 - Body (80)
7 - Third Figure - Ladies Chain (32 - 16x2)
8 - Body (80)
9 - Finish (40)

...with a jaw-dropping total of 568 bars; around ten minutes of dancing!

So the first figure is sort of "up the centre, turn, dance through and turn". Tops take right hands and sidestep towards opposite couple, finishing with two short threes then sidestep back, finishing with two short threes. Couple turns once in place and gent dances around lady on left and back while lady dances around gent on right and back; both take right hands and turn once in place. Repeat with opposite tops, leading sides and opposite sides.

Third figure is ladies chain and dead easy; Top lady and opposite give right hands in centre, chain to opposite gent and turn in place. Each lady returns to own partner and turn once in place. Both couples take both hands and dance a full circle around each other. Repeat with sides.

Finish is dead easy too; take hands in ring and advance and retire twice; sidestep to right and end with two short threes, return to left and end with two short threes. Advance and retire twice, sidestep to left and end with two short threes, return to right and end with two short threes. Couples take hands and dance a complete circle back to place.

Second figure.

For some reason you even get a CHOICE!

Here's what happens BEFORE you get a choice: Leading tops advance to opposites and pass through and around. All four give right hands across and dance around clockwise. This takes 6 bars. Then;

a) leading tops release hands and dance back to place while opposites turn once in place. Then gentlemen advance, passing right arm to right arm, to opposite lady

OR

b) Couples take right hands and turn once in place (leading tops returning to place). Then gentlemen advance, passing left arm to left arm, to opposite lady.

WHY?!

But then either way, you finish the figure in the following fashion:

Gents take left hand of opposite lady and dance around her, release hands and dance back to place passing right arm to right arm, take own partner's right hand and turn once in place. This is 16 bars. Couples then take both hands and dance a circle to the right around each other to place. That's 24 bars. Then you repeat with opposite tops advancing towards tops. Then leading sides to opposite sides; then opposite sides to leading sides. Waa.

It's totally in my head, but can I write it their way?

Rince Fada

Easy easy easy easy easy.



The Rising Step - Right Wheel - The Rising Step - Left Wheel - Advance Down Centre - Dance Around.

Love it for its easiness.

Earlier at work (after my 2-3 mile walk) I tested myself on set dances (just their names, sorted into jig, 2/4 hornpipe and 4/4 hornpipe categories). Out of 38 I managed to think of 29 tunes, and of that 29 I got 25 in the right categories. Not awesome but a start. And last night, I went to circuits which was pretty awesome. Admittedly I didn't put in as much effort as I could have done, but you don't want to push yourself too hard the first time.

Plan for the weekend - well, none really. Revision I guess? I know eight dances by movements now, perhaps I should pause on learning new ones and just be able to write them out properly before I move on.

An Rince Mor

No idea what it means, but I like this dance a lot. Reel time, round dance, as many couples as you like.

Ring to left and right - swing with ladies on left - swing with partners - link arms - lead round.

Pretty simple apart from the link arms bit - it's a chain of four links, the first three are link arms and the final one is take hands and turn. Should be easy enough to remember. And it's the first dance I've done that finishes with a lead round.

Ceilis in the sunshine

The sun is shining - it's absolutely glorious today - so I really didn't fancy exerting myself by learning the rest of the Blackbird. So I've done two ceili dances instead!

The Bridge of Athlone
Jig - any number of couples. Gent in one line, ladies in another, couples facing.

Rising step, advance and retire - down the centre - cast off - the bridge

I kinda like this one - I think it would be fairly easy to teach as well. But I can only find really amateur videos of it on YouTube, so I'll have to wait til I have the DVDs before I can properly check. Any dance that has a bridge is fine by me!

The Siege of Carrick
Jig - danced to Haste to the Wedding. Same formation as Walls, sets of two couples facing one another with lady on the gent's right.

Ring - right and left wheels - down centre and turn - up centre and swing

Down/up centre is a little tricky and when I watched the video, it didn't look at all how I'd imagined when I was reading the book. But it's a lovely dance, apart from the hooking arms which is just a bit Cotton Eyed Joe for my liking. There's clapping though, which I like. Will need to watch this one a few times more:

Blackbird Part 2

This is me, hating on the Blackbird. She doesn't go slow enough and then what the dancers do doesn't look like what she did in all parts. Here's what I've got.

Hop down treble + back hop rock 23 hop rock 23 jump 23 jump 23 jump 23 + treble + back
Hop change change rock rock brush treble + back + treble + back
Tip onto your heel 12 12 tip onto your heel stamp toe heel.

I cannot get the last bit. She doesn't even bother explaining the end treble combination, it's shocking. I *think* it's: .

Change 2345 change point back rock 23. Then a load of trebles.

I actually need somebody to show me, in person, how to do this. I'm really worried now. She took St Patrick's Day really slowly, and although it took me ages I did get it. I was overly frustrated at myself during the Blackbird step but eventually got it because it's so repetitive, not because it was explained well. If I was now in the frame of mind to concentrate and try, I could get the thing that I think that I got. But anything after that is not going to happen tonight. I probably don't need someone to show it to me, I probably just need to NOT try and learn a dance after a driving lesson and not be such a baby.

Up yours, Blackbird.

The Rakes of Mallow

I like this one.

It's one of the ceilis danced to a tune of the same name, which is annoying, as that's now a tune I've got to learn and lilt, more's the pity. I can't do karaoke, what makes them think I'm going to be comfortable lilting?! Or be nice to listen to?!

Anyway, five movements of eight bars each. Danced by any even number of trios - but the trios have to be one gent with two ladies on his right. As in:
OOX
XOO

Advance and retire, swing with opposite lady, swing with lady on right, link arms in centre, swing out.

It's the little linky bits that are going to drive me nuts when teaching. Olive has the ladies dancing in to form the circle on the last two bars of link arms in centre, but that's not in the book. Just one of those little flourishes that people add I guess - it looks neat, though.

Enough philosophising. Here it is, Olive style:



The tune's bouncy, I like.

My progress so far

To date, my entire life, I've danced very few ceilis. Here they are;
- The 4-hand reel (only the body, and when I was about twelve)
- The Siege of Ennis (but not convinced we did it book-perfect)
- The High-Cauled Cap (only the body and first figure, but I know it very well)
- Trip to the Cottage (and I always mess up the basket thing whether I'm a lady or a gent. See, I don't even know the terminology!)
- Another 8-hand which for the life of me I can't remember

So, not much to build on eh?

Now that I'm the proud owner of the blue book, I can add Walls of Limerick to that list. Never danced it before but thanks to the wonders of YouTube, I know it. And I know the names of the movements, too! Advance and retire, half right and left, dance with opposite, dance around. A tiny milestone, one that any seasoned ceili dancer would scoff at (it is, undoubtedly, the easiest dance ever), but I've got to take encouragement from somewhere. Here it is:



My knowledge of traditional sets was limited - I remember joining in with the babies when my teacher was trying to get them through St Patrick's Day, but I only joined in because I was injured and helpfully, this was about five years ago.

So on Saturday just gone I rearranged some furniture, opened the patio doors, tied up my hair, and settled down with Olive and the gang for an hour. I now know St Patrick's Day! Okay, I haven't done it in shoes yet (kind of don't have any...) but at least it's in there *points to head* and so's the tune. Not to shabby for an hour's work - considering that I'm disgustingly unfit and had to take several sit-down breaks.

That's where I was until today.

Today, I've found a list of all the set dances along with their timing, and the number of bars in the step/set. I didn't know some of them were so short! Pencilling those in for the exam. I've also got an unexplainable desire to put Is the Big Man Within? on my list - it's a dead-cert they'd ask me to dance it, surely?

Also today I found out that the Rakes of Mallow is a similarly piss-easy ceili, so that's on my list for this evening. Right now in fact, once I've posted this.

Finally, my solo dancing and teaching. I have a champ-ish level reel, slip jig and heavy jig. I've got a standard-level light jig and hop jig but these are my own teacher's choreography so I might create my own for the exam using theirs as a base. I have absolutely no set dances anymore - I can remember bits and pieces of my last competition set dance - and no hornpipe. For those of you that don't know, I need 9 complete set dances (with no repetition of steps between them), 4 in jig time, 4 in hornpipe, and a floater which can be either (helloooo, Big Man!) Oh dear.

Rakes-of-Mallow-O'Clock.